


Of Spring Days and Cat Cafes

by vikinglord



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Baekchen - Freeform, Cat cafe AU, College AU, M/M, Waiter!Baekhyun, Writer!Jongdae, everyone's happy at the end because i couldn't have otherwise, little bit of angst??, stragers to friends to lovers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-22
Packaged: 2020-05-16 16:44:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19322116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vikinglord/pseuds/vikinglord
Summary: "Would you like anything to go with that?" the waiter leaned forward, a strand of hair coming out of its perfectly gelled state and falling into his eyes, creating a perfect contrast between his smooth pale skin and the deep brown of his hair. Jongdae could honestly spend an eternity looking at the sight.ORIn which amateur writer, Jongdae, falls for his waiter at a cat cafe. Cue unwanted feelings and lots of confusion.





	Of Spring Days and Cat Cafes

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Petal: #198
> 
> Author's Note: Okay, so first off thank you to the mods for arranging this fest and for letting me write for this and for giving me the extension because God knows I needed it!  
> Thank you to my beta, I, for helping me out and the bouts of encouragement throughout the process of my writing. You're amazing ♥♥  
> And lastly, to the prompter, thank you for this prompt, I really hope I did it justice.  
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this almost 10k worded mess~

"You're hogging our table!" The manager lady stood before him in her almost five feet glory, hands on her hips as she stared him down through the tiny spectacles perched on her nose.

Her brows were drawn together in an awful scowl and if Jongdae's brain hadn't been preoccupied with Radomir's love life he would be intimidated. Radomir was the protagonist of Jongdae's latest fantasy novel, by the way, just saying. It's not like Jongdae had been interested in real people's love lives for a long time. Actually, scratch that. Jongdae hadn't been interested in real people for a long time. Period. Which was why he didn't really care about this old lady practically yelling her throat off right next to his ear. He just picked up his laptop, packed away his stuff and quietly walked out of the retro-looking cafe after mumbling a quick apology.

 _Great_ , he sighed. Another good writing place, lost. It's not like he was planning to stay glued to his chair for... he checked his phone for the time, four hours?! No wonder the woman was mad. He didn't even get to finish his flat white, he regrettably noted, watching through the windows as a waiter took away his cup. _Oh well, there are always other places with good coffee_ , he thought, kicking a loose pebble out of the way, as he strolled aimlessly on the sidewalk.

Spring had come early this year. The soft pink of the newly bloomed cherry blossoms created a halo overhead as sunlight filtered through the branches. The air was chilly, but the day was warm enough that Jongdae had ditched his heavy padded jacket for a thin cardigan. He was the perfect image of a scrawny little writer with his long unkempt hair and the round rimmed glasses. Peering across the street from behind those glasses.

A short walk found him standing in front of a small red brick coffee shop. THUNDER PAWS. It said in huge gold letters. Jongdae did not even pause to observe the building any further before pushing the door open and heading inside. The iconic ping of the doorbell startled him a little. Apparently, it startled the orange, furry little creature right in front of him too. As it shrieked in its shrill cat voice, its claws coming out, ready to pounce at him.

Jongdae took a step away from the feline, trying to find a safe zone when a man in a uniform showed up and scooped the cat in his arms. He flashed an all too bright, dimpled smile towards Jongdae.

"Sorry about that. Johnny is new here." he petted the cat gently as it slowly started to calm down and rested its head on his shoulder, watching Jongdae with its intense eyes, "She tends to get a little restless sometimes. Please have a seat." he gestured towards an antique looking table with two mismatched sofas.

As Jongdae sat down he noticed how odd the interior of the cafe is. It's sort of resembled the inside of his grandfather's attic with its ensemble of old wooden furniture complete with the intricate carvings and the dark brown polish. There was a small TV in one corner hooked up to a Nintendo where two teen boys were playing Mario Kart, each with a cat resting on his lap. At the far end was the counter that was being held by the dimpled guy Jongdae saw earlier who had now abandoned Johnny and was looking intently at a computer screen. Then there were the other cats, three in a sort of a play area near the counter where a bunch of girls was cooing over them, two being held by patrons at their respective tables and Johnny who was strutting around like she owned the place.

"Ehm..." the fake cough brought Jongdae out of his thoughts and made him turn to look at the source, "Can I take your order please?" It was a shortish, skinny waiter with an angular face, looking at him with curious eyes and a soft smile that played on his lips. Wait is that a mole?

He managed to take his gaze away from the other's cute little mole, "A-a vanilla latte please." he stuttered out. The man nodded, eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Would you like anything to go with that?" the waiter leaned forward, a strand of hair coming out of its perfectly gelled state and falling into his eyes, creating a perfect contrast between his smooth pale skin and the deep brown of his hair. Jongdae could honestly spend an eternity looking at the sight.

But the moment ended too quickly, "I'll take that as a no." the waiter said, half laughing at Jongdae's state of speechlessness which he tried to hide behind his pretty hands as he all but skipped away from the table.

It was then that Jongdae registered how his heartbeat had multiplied a thousand time, his heart threatening to break out of its confines. It should be illegal to be this beautiful, Jongdae thought while watching the cute waiter taking orders from another table.

His was posture straight and his voice calm as he spoke to the patrons, the playful smile still present on his lips, working to charm any onlookers and making him look more puppy like than he already was. He watched as the waiter walked back to the counter when he suddenly turned around and unabashedly winked at him. Embarrassed, Jongdae immediately looked away, colour rising in his cheeks as he did.

He was caught staring. He was caught staring by the man he was staring at and he winked at him. What was that even supposed to mean?

He fanned his cheeks not too discreetly, willing the blush to go away, and opened his laptop to an already opened word document. Thankfully, the screen was big enough to cover his face, hidden from any further embarrassment, and he picked back up on his writing.

 

 _He moves swiftly across the field, riding high on his horse, piercing through enemy lines and cutting down anyone who comes in his way. On the outside, the prince may seem calm and poised as he takes down one enemy by one, but really, he's worried. He's worried that the Duke of Asland, the usurper, has escaped the battlefield. It's an inborn warrior's instinct that tells him so. The instinct that lets him sniff out his real enemies even when he's surrounded by hordes of horsemen and foot soldiers, all raging and crying out to create the most deafening sound. He knows the man he wants isn't here_ \-----

 

"You order, one vanilla latte." his train of thought was interrupted by the cute waiter who showed up again and set his drink down, his eyes still had that mischievous glint. Jongdae was starting to think it was a permanent fixture in the other's eyes. Wait, he shouldn't be staring at his eyes for too long. Jongdae blushed before looking away, focusing on the coffee instead.

He stuttered out thank you while taking a sip of the coffee which ended up coming out as more of a gargled sound. Cute waiter guy just laughed, making Jongdae blush even harder who was purposefully staring down at the table. Just as he was about to take another sip and the cute waiter was turning away from him a giant mass of orange jumped right onto him sending his drink flying out of his hand and his chair going out of balance and him falling flat on the floor. _Fuck._

The furry orange creature sat on top of his chest, eyes wide in curiosity as it innocently pawed at his shirt as if it wasn't the cause of Jongdae's near demise. You're gonna pay for this you little---.

He heard laughter from above him, a beautiful, melodious sound. Jongdae didn't have to look up to tell who it is. Great, now he knows what a total loser I am. Thank you, cat!

He groaned as he tried to sit up. "Here. Lemme help you up." Long, beautiful fingers were extended towards him. Even in his messed-up state Jongdae couldn’t help but admire the beautiful, pale hand. He felt its warmth seep into his hand as he took it to get up, holding the cat with his other hand.

"I'll take her from you." The waiter took the cat, Johnny as he remembers the dimpled guy call it (what an odd name for a female cat), out of his arms and though Jongdae was willing to get away from the vile creature, he kind of missed the softness of the fur against his skin. He might also miss the warmth of the cute waiter guy's hand. "I'm sorry. She's been a bit wild." the man looked at the cat as if scolding her telepathically, "Also I'm sorry for laughing," he'd taken on a sheepish expression, lightly scratching the back of his neck, quickly glancing over the counter, "I'll get you a new drink and you should take care of that." he gestured towards the dark stain on his shirt. "The bathroom's over there at the back." He sent him a quick smile before hurrying towards the kitchen.

Before Jongdae could even get a word out he was gone. Now what. He stared at the slowly growing stain on his white shirt. Maybe he really should do something about it.

His hair was a wild bird's nest, his glasses askew and his eyes watery and gross behind them. The reflection looking back at him was not a pretty sight. Why do all the weird things in the world happen to him alone? He groaned, opening the tap and began fixing his state to whatever extent he could.

Back on his table, Jongdae found a fresh cup of coffee waiting for him along with a plate of chocolate muffin. There was a pastel pink cat shaped (Jongdae snorted) sticky note attached to the plate.

_I'm sorry again. I hope you like this muffin (it's one of my favorite things here ><) and that you aren't allergic to chocolate or something.  
~B♡_

_Cute,_ Jongdae smiled as he took the note off and hid it in the back pocket of his backpack. The muffin was really good. Jongdae could tell why cute waiter guy (B?) would like it. Speaking of him, where in the world was he? Jongdae had seen a couple of other waiters pass by him but he was nowhere to be seen.

His shift must've ended, Jongdae shrugged and tried to put the man out of his mind, immersing himself into his work instead. There were instances when the orange cat, Johnny, came over to him and rubbed her head against his leg, purring. Jongdae surprisingly found it comforting. The gentleness of Johnny's fur, the meows of other cats, the steamy sound of the coffee machine. It was a strange sort of calm he hadn't experienced before.

The same calm followed him back home as he settled in his bed retiring for the night. Thinking of a certain puppy like waiter, he finally closed his eyes and entered deep slumber.

 

...

 

The sun was ablaze that day, not quite unusual for late-March but seeing as how the past few days had been colder it was definitely a strange occurrence. Jongdae shrugged off his hoodie and stuffed it into his backpack. Spring always came with unpredictable weather, one moment you’re walking in light, soothing breeze, the next moment the sun is burning through your skin. He huffed as he raced towards the literature building, sweat collected at the nape of his neck both from the temperature and the exercise.

Whoever decided to put the literature building in the far north of the campus deserved a good place in hell. The walk from the front of the campus was twenty minutes long and Jongdae was already running late for class. He internally sighed as he spotted the all too familiar array of trees that were yellowish green at this time of the year, returning back to life as the weather changed. Thud.

He crashed into something hard, too caught up in his musings to notice what way he was going. He went sprawling back upon the impact, his rear end meeting the ground. Ouch. “I’m so so so sorry…” a voice from somewhere above him spoke. Jongdae tried not to groan, trying to get back on his feet. “Hey, I’m really sorry for bumping into you. I really should’ve been looking where I was going…” The person was rambling on.

When Jongdae finally stood up and turned to look up at the guy he saw smooth brown hair, bright mischievous eyes, soft arched mouth, and that goddamn mole. Cute waiter guy from the cat café he went to last week stood right in front of him, blinking, his eyes widening as realisation set in when he saw his face. He'd stopped in his insistent stream of apologies and was instead standing there gaping at Jongdae as if he was an illusion. 

Jongdae felt like he should say something, but his mind drew a blank and he stood there staring back. It was as if time had paused for the two of them and maybe it had for all he knew. Everything went still, and all the sounds of the surroundings seemed to have numbed out. 

The moment, however, was broken when the other tore his gaze away, quickly mumbling yet another apology before rushing away behind Jongdae. And by the time he got over the initial shock and turned to look the other had already disappeared from sight. 

_That was weird,_ Jongdae thought, momentarily forgetting about the fact that he was late for class. Instead, he was thinking about the waiter and how odd his behavior was.

 

...

 

"Where the fuck were you?" Luhan angry whispered at him as Jongdae sneaked into the classroom from the back door, hoping that the lecturer didn't see him come in so late. 

Jongdae shrugged, getting his laptop out of his bag, ready to take notes, "I woke up late." he didn't need to explain any further. Luhan would want to know more of course but that didn't mean Jongdae would give him any answers. Instead, he just stole his friend’s coffee because he most definitely needed some caffeine in him at this ungodly hour.

The rest of the class went by as the lecturer droned on about South Asian literature while Jongdae and Luhan swapped the large cup of Americano between them while desperately trying to keep their eyes and ears open.

"So, are you free this Saturday?" Luhan spoke once they finally got out of class, smirking behind a bar of chocolate. Just how much food did this boy carry with him?

"Nope." Jongdae said, dismissively for which he got smacked on the shoulder.

"I know you are, you oaf! We're hanging out at Yixing's for movie night and you're coming with me." Luhan went on, bright eyes turning towards Jongdae as if he was offering him the biggest treat ever.

"You want me to spend my weekend with you and your oldie friends? Yeah, no thanks." Truthfully, Luhan wasn't that much older than Jongdae. He was a year senior when Jongdae first got into university but in his 6th semester, he'd taken a year's worth of break to go on a romantic European tour with his boyfriend.

When he'd come back he'd joined Jongdae's batch and had chosen him as the only person worthy of befriending. Jongdae suspected it was because he was the most pitiful and lonely looking out of everyone and Luhan loved to help out charity cases. 

Now almost a year later they had formed a bond closer than most other friendships. But that obviously didn't mean Jongdae would let him monopolise his Saturdays by dragging him off to random social gatherings whenever he saw fit.

Luhan scoffed, "Yeah well at least I have friends." Low blow, Luhan. "Come on, Jongdae. I haven't even introduced you to Yixing and Yanjun yet. They're transfer students from China. You'll like them. Just be ready by 7. I want no excuses!" he gave the younger a stern warning which meant that there was no more room for argument.

Jongdae could do nothing but nod. Luhan could be scary sometimes, it would be best not to disagree. 

 

...

 

Saturday evening saw him lounging on his bed in the dorm room, holding a copy of Charles Dickens' Bleak House. He had to finish reading the monstrosity of a novel by next Thursday and he was nowhere near finishing it. He was just thinking of taking a break when the door unlocked on its own and in stepped Luhan, wearing a scowl on his face.

"I knew you wouldn't have started getting ready by now." He entered the room and pulled Jongdae's duvet away, startling him as the warmth was taken away.

"Bitch!" Jongdae dropped his book, reaching for the duvet to cover himself again, kicking Luhan in the process. "And I was about to get ready. I just lost track of time." He defends himself, pouting.

Luhan was already at his closet, pulling clothes out and discarding them on the floor, "Why do you only have boring nerdy boy clothing?" the other observed, making a disgusted face at Jongdae's favorite maroon sweater.

The younger climbed off the bed and snatched the sweater out of his friend's hand. He took off his t-shirt in one swift movement and pulled on the sweater. "There, I'm ready." He said while picking up his glasses from his bedside table and stuffing his feet into his shoes.

"Like hell you are." Luhan reached over to flatten down Jongdae's hair, his hand immediately swatted away by the younger.

"Let's go!" Jongdae shrieked before grabbing his phone and keys and pulling the other out of the dorm before he got any ideas.

The walk to Yixing's apartment was short, barely ten minutes before they reached the building and took the stairs to the first floor. When they knocked a tallish man opened the door and Luhan jumped onto him instantly, "Yixing!" he said excitedly. So, this was Yixing.

It was when the man turned towards Jongdae that his features truly set in. "Hi." he said, eyeing the familiar dimple.

"Oh hi. Aren't you the guy that-- wait, never mind." the other cut himself off.

"Do you guys know each other?" Luhan interjected, looking confused.

"He came to the cafe." Yixing turned to smile at Jongdae, "You're Jongdae, I believe. Come on in. The others have already arrived."

He moved aside to let them in. 

Once inside, they greeted the others. Yifan, Yongsun, and Minseok were the familiar faces. Yifan being a little too familiar since Luhan liked to drag Jongdae along with him to their dates sometimes as a third wheel. This could've been a double date if you weren't such a hermit. Luhan had snapped at him once.

The only stranger in the room was a fresh-faced boy, who smiled eagerly when Jongdae shook his hand. "Lin Yanjun." Luhan spoke before the boy could introduce himself. "He's younger than you so now you won't feel like you're surrounded by 'old people'." he made quotation marks in the air to emphasize the last two words.

Jongdae turned sheepish and decided to ignore his friend as he made himself comfortable with everyone. Yixing had ordered them Chinese and Youngsun had brought over soju. They started stuffing their faces even before the movie started, making snide remarks about Minseok's poor choice of a war movie. 

Halfway into the movie there was a clicking of keys and the front door opened. "Yixing, I'm back." a voice came from the hallway.

A man stepped out in front of them and Jongdae had to stop himself from gasping out loud like one those dramatic anime characters. Cute waiter guy stood right before his eyes, wearing a light blue hoodie that almost drowned the upper half of his body. He gets cuter every time Jongdae saw him if that was even possible.

The other was just staring at everyone in the room, "Oh." he said, face blank. He was clearly shocked.

"Baek, come over say hi." Yixing beckoned him over.

"Hi." he waved at everyone, still rooted to the same spot as his eyes went over everyone's faces, pausing at Jongdae for a tad longer. "I'm sorry I can't stay and chat. I just came here to get something."

With that he sprinted to one of the rooms and dashed out of it just as fast, holding a couple of books in his hand. "I'll see you guys later." he said, nearly flinging himself out of the door.

"Okay..." Luhan spoke once the other had left leaving them in silence that was only filled by the movie playing in the background.

"That was my roommate, Baekhyun. I'll introduce you guys with him properly some time." Yixing said aloud to everyone. Apparently, none of the others had seen Yixing's roommate before either.

They resumed watching the movie, slurpy sounds of noodles and the clicking of cutlery followed as they continued to eat. Except, Jongdae's mind was still plagued with thoughts of one certain waiter. Baekhyun. He tried saying the name in his head a few times. It was a unique name for sure. His thoughts immediately went to the note the other had left him at the cafe the other day. It was signed with a B. Now he had a whole name to associate with that B. 

He was pulled out of his reverie when the movie ended, and the closing soundtrack started playing. Yixing and Minseok had gotten up to take care of the empty take out boxes and soju bottles. Meanwhile, Luhan and Yifan were wrapped up in each other watching as Yongsun gave motherly advice to Yanjun, who was listening quietly, trying his best to understand with his limited knowledge of Korean. 

Normally, Jongdae would have made a snarky remark about the couple acting so clingy but, at that moment, he couldn't get anything out. All he could do was watch them living their perfect love lives together. He'd be lying if he said that he'd never wished to have something like they did.

Jongdae had never been lucky when it came to anything mildly related to dating. In the past twenty-one years of his life, there was nothing in particular that he could call a proper relationship. He had tried dating of course especially in his first year in university when older girls seemed fascinated by his boyish charm. But nothing had ever turned into something serious and although Jongdae missed the whole idea of dating he never got too remorseful over not pursuing any of his dates more. Over time Jongdae had learned to accept the fact that he wasn't made for relationships. 

And so here he was, almost a university graduate and completely resigned to his fate of being forever alone. Maybe he should get a cat. Or two. Becoming a spinster and living alone surrounded by cats didn't really sound like a bad idea.

 

...

 

_Ow! _Jongdae groaned as sharp claws dug into his shin. _Nope, I take my words back. Cats are the worst_. He had come to the cafe in hopes of getting a nice, peaceful environment to work in (maybe catch sight of cute looking waiters with lip moles if he's lucky). He didn't ask to be brutally attacked like that.__

____

__

____

__

_And to think I was actually started to like this cat_. The orange fluffy munchkin cat stared at him through her big cat eyes wide open. He'd found out her breed through a waiter. Not that he cared, it's just he wanted to know... he wasn't really good at cat breeds. Or any animal's breeds for the matter. Okay, maybe he did care. Johnny was cute and Jongdae would be heartless if he didn't fall for those adorable looks she gave him when she wasn't busy clawing him. Also, the way she purred when he petted her smooth fur it was just too cute.

"Oh my God!" Jongdae stopped mid-pet, hand pausing still. That voice was just too familiar. He dared to look up at the source of voice only to be met with the most gorgeous man ever. Baekhyun stood near his table, smiling at him and Johnny, he looked radiant as ever, shining brighter than the midday sun, eyes squinted at the edges. Jongdae only noticed he had his phone out when he heard a sudden shutter sound of the camera. What? "You both look so adorable~" the other was now cooing over the picture he'd taken.

Jongdae grimaced. Adorable? He does not wish to be associated with that adjective thank you very much. But when Baekhyun looked up to meet his eyes Jongdae felt like he could melt into a puddle right there. He ears reddened when it registered that the waiter had complimented him. He just hoped it wasn't too obvious that he was blushing. Their gazes met for a while, the tension thickening as neither was willing to look away. That was until the sound of bell resounded signalling the arrival of a new patron. Baekhyun was the first to break contact, looking at the source of the sound that clearly startled him. "Oh... um... do you need something?" he directed the question towards Jongdae, still not looking at him as gestured towards his empty cup. Jongdae swore he saw his cheeks redden but maybe it was just his mind playing tricks on him.

"Just another Americano please." he said as he watched the waiter take away his empty cup. "By the way..." he started just as the other was about to walk away from his table, "Thanks for the muffin last time. It was great!" might as well take this chance to talk to him, who knows when he'll see the other again.

Baekhyun turned towards him and smiled, a small pouty smile that accentuated the arch of his lips, making him look a million times more endearing, "I can sneak you one of Kyungsoo's lemon tarts if you want. They're not on the menu yet but let me tell you they're to die for!" he half-whispered half-yelled in excitement, eyes glinting in the same mischief that Jongdae had first seen and instantly fell for. And honestly how could Jongdae refuse to that.

So, he waited about three hours in the same seat by the window because Kyungsoo, the pastry chef, refused to serve his special off menu lemon tarts while the cafe was still open because he didn't want the other customers to think they were picking favourites. And because Baekhyun insisted that Jongdae _MUST_ stay to try them out. Mostly because Baekhyun insisted.

It wasn't too bad staying at the cafe, surrounded by cats roaming around his feet, jumping on his table, pawing at his arms. Johnny would be jealous if Jongdae paid too much attention to other cats, screeching at the others to get away from her human. Or at least that's what Jongdae assumed. So, Jongdae focused on his work instead, hands flying fast across the keyboard as he typed.

 

_The man glowed as the sunlight hit his face, giving him the appearance of a divine entity. He was mortal. That much was clear. But he was still so much more. The soft brown hair illuminated by the sun, cast a shadow over his eyes, taking away the intensity in his gaze. He tilted his head, silken hair falling away from his forehead as looked back. His mouth opened to say something, but the wind was too strong for the words to be carried all the way to Radomir. All he saw was the smooth, curved lips moving as the man looked at him with a confused expression, looking more like a small canine in need of protecting rather than the prince that he was supposed to be._

 

 _Wait._ Jongdae went over the last few lines again. The new character he'd introduced in his story awfully reminded him of a certain someone. He looked up from his computer screen to find that same certain someone looking back at him with the same puppy like expression. Oh God, Baekhyun wasn't just taking over his life he was taking over his imagination too.

Finally at about nine all the customers had left and a girl from the nearby cat shelter came over to take away all the felines back to their home for the night. It was particularly hard for her to separate the tiny orange munchkin from Jongdae's leg but in the end all the animals were put in the back of the car and sent back. The cashier, not Yixing this time, threw the keys at Baekhyun telling him to lock up, leaving the two of them alone. 

Baekhyun hopped over to him excitedly, his apron already discarded. "Come on." he gestured towards the kitchen door at the back. "Don't worry I'm not gonna murder you." he said when he saw the Jongdae's hesitated expression.

Jongdae laughed, "And why should I believe you? I barely know you." he snarked back, getting up to join the other anyway.

The waiter turned around, almost causing Jongdae to bump into him as he was right behind him, "Hello. I'm Byun Baekhyun. I'm 22. Part time waiter at Thunder Paws and when I'm not bringing coffee to patrons I'm doing a terrible job at being a Physics Student at SNU." he extended one hand towards him which Jongdae shook, still a little confused. "Great! Now that we know each other you can rest assured that I totally won't murder you." 

"Umm... I wouldn't call this 'getting to know each other' more like you dumping a bunch of information onto me about yourself." 

The other had already turned back, cutting their handshake short and effectively ending the physical contact, leaving Jongdae with the warmth of his hand and the feeling of wanting more.

"You're Kim Jongdae. Also almost 22. Majoring in Literature at Yonsei Univ. Is that correct?" He looked back at Jongdae, bright eyes shining in triumph, "Yixing told me. I swear I'm not a stalker." He quickly added.

The inside of the kitchen was beautiful. Jongdae had worked in a fair number of cafes before but none had a kitchen that was this clean and organised. "So umm...Kyungsoo had to leave early," the sharp-eyed waiter said, interrupting Jongdae's thoughts, almost unconsciously scratching the back of his neck, "He did leave us the tarts though. I'll get them out."

The waiter started searching one of the massive refrigerators at the back. The lights inside the kitchen had been dimmed out and so the orange light coming from the fridge illuminated the entire space, giving Baekhyun a soft orange glow. Jongdae couldn't help but stare.

His gaze broke once the other turned back, smiling wide with a tupperware box in hand. He kept the refrigerator open to let the light enter as he set down the box and hopped onto the counter, motioning for Jongdae to do the same. "So, what does our mister writer like to write about?" Baekhyun inquired, offering him one of the tarts, which honestly did look just as delectable as the other had described if not more.

His attention was focused entirely on Jongdae which made him nervous and he took a bite out of the sweet treat instead of answering. Chewing as he contemplated an answer, "Fiction, mostly. I'm working on a serialised novel right now. It's nothing big but if a famous publishing company sees it then it might be my chance to hit big." He glanced at the other, "I'm sorry it seems too far fetched-" 

"No, no. It's good to have a solid goal and work towards it. I like that." Baekhyun gave him a small smile, "I wish I knew what I wanted to do with my life." he'd turned a little sorrowful, showing yet another side of Baekhyun that Jongdae had not seen before and maybe hadn't expected to see.

Jongdae reached over and covered his hand with his own, give it a squeeze in reassurance. Baekhyun seemed to jump at the sudden physical contact but then visibly relaxed, not moving his hand away, "It's completely fine to not have everything figured out yet. Heck, even I'm not sure if I'd want the same things for myself in the future. You still have a lot of time to think about all those things."

Baekhyun nodded and after a moment of silence he spoke up, "So, what else do you like to do other than writing that is." he clearly wanted a change of subject and Jongdae obliged.

The conversation took a happier turn after that, both of them showing their quirkier side once they got more comfortable. The box full of tarts got emptied way too fast but their conversation seemed to be never ending. Jongdae learned so much about Baekhyun like the fact that he had an older brother much like Jongdae and that Physics wasn't exactly what he wanted to study but he was still undecided when they had to choose a major so he ended up choosing the same thing as his best friend, Kyungsoo who also happens to be the pastry chef of the cafe.

"I cling onto him wherever he goes. Probably why he kicked me out of the apartment last month and I had to move in with Yixing. He's nice though even though he looks really stern sometimes. You guys should totally meet each other. I'm sure you'll love him!" 

They talked about Jongdae's family and how he still sometimes felt a little lonely without them but Seoul's been good to him so far. Baekhyun listened to him attentively as he talked. Hours turned into minutes and before they knew it it was well past midnight.

"Ahh I think we should get back home." Jongdae said once realised how late it was.

Baekhyun jumped off the counter, "Yeah I have an 8am class tomorrow." he said as Jongdae, too, got down on his feet, walking with him as they made their way out of the kitchen.

They worked in silence as Jongdae grabbed his things and Baekhyun made sure everything was in its place before they got out and locked up the cafe for the day. "So, I'll see you-- whenever you visit the cafe again?" there was nervousness in his voice as he looked up at Jongdae with hopeful eyes.

"Or… we could exchange numbers and plan when to meet up next…" Jongdae was feeling bold, he really wanted to try his luck.

Baekhyun expression lit up at that, eyes sparkling and his mouth curving in a playful smile, "Yeah, that could work too."

Jongdae walked back home that night with a skip his step and the phone number of the boy he liked in his contacts.

 

...

 

"How do I look?" Jongdae brought the phone camera a little closer to his full length mirror. He was dressed in a plain white button down with a black jacket over it and skinny jeans to finish the look. 

"Kim I-don't-care-about-clothing Jongdae is asking for my opinion on clothes?!" Luhan, ever the dramatic, spoke from the other side of the call, "So, What's the occasion? Did you finally get a date?" he wiggled his eyebrows in the annoying Luhan way.

Jongdae shrugged, "It's nothing really. Tell me quick if it looks okay, I have to leave soon." He urged the other.

"How is it nothing big? You have to tell me everything when you get back! Also those shoes are a tragedy." Jongdae looked down at his sneakers frowning, they were good sneakers. "Wear the ones your mom got you for Christmas instead."

Jongdae wanted to complain but he chose not to, "Okay, I will. Thanks. I love you. Bye!" He cut the call before his friend could pick out more flaws in his look.

He debated over whether to trade his glasses for contacts but he didn't want it to seem like he was trying too hard. He did, however, take his friend's advice and changed his shoes before finally leaving the dorm and taking a bus to the location Baekhyun had sent him. 

They had been talking over text for the past couple weeks. Most of the conversations just consisted of them sending each other memes and Baekhyun talking about the cats at the cafe and how Johnny seemed to miss him and that he should maybe visit the cafe sometime if he has the time.

Jongdae had visited a few times recently but he couldn't stay for long, with the heavy burden of assignments and his midterms drowning him. Now that he was done with his last exam he was free to hang out. There was a literature festival that was being held at Baekhyun's university. It's perfect for literary people like you, the other had said. Jongdae wanted to think it was an excuse to see him.

It felt a little exhilarating, meeting Baekhyun outside of the typical cafe surrounding. Sure, they'd seen each other outside of the cafe before but this would the first time they would be hanging out together. No, it was definitely not a date. Jongdae didn't even know if Baekhyun was even interested in guys although his sneaky flirting could indicate something. But Jongdae really wasn't ready to set himself up for disappointment.

The bus ride ended rather quickly and he noticed the dark haired boy among the people waiting in front of the bus stop. "What are you doing here?" he tried to sound stern but how could he when he other was standing with a pout on his face, shivering from the cold wind that was blowing.

"Hello to you too." Baekhyun said, handing Jongdae a warm cup of coffee, "I thought I'd come get you in case you got lost or something. You're welcome." He smirked cheekily and walked ahead, leading Jongdae towards the university. 

They talked on the way. There wasn't much to talk about considering how frequently they'd been texting recently but somehow in Baekhyun's presence Jongdae was either completely at a loss for words or had too much to say. These days it was the latter.

They walked together through the university's huge courtyards as Baekhyun pointed out several building to him along the way, giving brief descriptions of the places. Soon enough they reached the place where the event was supposed to be. There were students running about in the hall, helping the guests as Baekhyun and Jongdae sought out seats at the back to settle down in. 

The inside was a lot warmer and Jongdae instantly melted into his seat. He watched as Baekhyun took off his jacket to reveal a white t-shirt underneath. Jongdae immediately looked away when his gaze landed on those massive shoulders. He would've never known Baekhyun could look this good in just a plain white shirt. The misshapen waiter uniform did not do his physique any justice. 

Shaking the oncoming thoughts out of his head, Jongdae chose to focus on the event that was starting. A sudden hush had surrounded them and the lights dimmed. They only talked when Jongdae leaned into whisper details about the guest speakers he knew about. His inner fanboy coming out but Baekhyun didn't mind, listening earnestly with a soft smile even though he didn't quite get everything he was saying.

Almost half an hour later when Jongdae turned towards Baekhyun he saw the other half asleep in his seat, pouting as he tried to keep his head up. Jongdae silently laughed to himself, poking him a little, "Do you wanna get out of here?"

Baekhyun immediately looked up, "No. It's alright. Besides, don't you want to stick around and talk to that bald dude?"

Jongdae snickered, not correcting Baekhyun when he called one of the most popular authors in Korean contemporary literature 'bald dude', "Hmm... but I'm not sure if he'd want to talk to me. Plus I'm getting kinda hungry. I skipped breakfast this morning." 

"Same to be honest." Baekhyun paused, "I mean the getting hungry part. C'mon let's go." he pulled Jongdae out of his seat and led him out from the backdoor. 

The originally planned on finding a cafe to properly sit down and eat but the tteokbokki stand they spotted on the way won them over. And so they sat on a park bench, facing each other as they wolfed down the spicy rice cakes. The yoghurt drink Baekhyun had got them helped wash it down.

Jongdae couldn't help but think how warm it felt, sitting out in the nature, eating and talking to Baekhyun. It felt so very familiar yet new at the same time and oh so good. Especially when their eyes met and the other looked back with a certain look in his eyes that made his insides go to mush.

"It's raining." Baekhyun said, suddenly, making Jongdae notice the light drizzle that had started, "We should get out of here." he commented and they got up and made their way out of the park. 

They ended up taking the bus back to Baekhyun's apartment as neither of them was ready to part for the day. They heard footsteps in the living room when they entered. A short boy with a clean cut hair and black wayfarer specs came into view.

"Kyungsoo!" Baekhyun exclaimed when he noticed his friend. Running over to him to give him a hug. "How come you're here?"

The other boy, Kyungsoo, scowled when Baekhyun messed up his hair, "I had to use your printer. Yixing let me in before he went out."

"Well it's great that you're here!" Baekhyun spoke, turning to Jongdae who shied away from the attention being given to him by both the others, "Jongdae this is Kyungsoo. The pastry chef at the cafe and my best friend~ And Kyungsoo this is Jongdae." he gave a much shorter introduction of him, however, Kyungsoo nodded knowingly, leading Jongdae to believe that the other knew much more about him already. Baekhyun must've talked him. He didn't know exactly how to feel about that.

Deciding not to reminisce over that for much longer, he settled down with the other two in front of the TV to watch reruns of a popular sitcom. Half way through the episode Jongdae felt a slight warmth seep into his right thigh where Baekhyun had moved closer to him. The physical contact maintained throughout after that, only to break when Kyungsoo suddenly announced that was getting hungry and was going to go make dinner somewhere after the fourth episode. The two quickly sprung apart at that. As if only just realising the close space they'd been sharing for so long. Kyungsoo chuckled at them and headed to the kitchen. 

"I think I should help him out." Baekhyun was looking down at his lap. The television screen lit up the right side of his face and Jongdae would appreciate how beautifully it highlighted all the sharp contours of his face if the other gave him time to do so before getting up and following Kyungsoo.

What exactly was making Baekhyun act so weird towards him? It had happened several times before. Every time Jongdae thought they might be having a moment or something gave him a glimmer of hope the other would pull back. Honestly, who was he kidding. Someone like Baekhyun would never be interested in him. Gay or straight. It's just his own wishful thinking that makes things seem bigger than they actually are.

Baekhyun doesn't look at him a certain way, initiate physical contact, text him every morning to check up on him because he likes him or something. He's treated him like he would treat any other friend and that's that. Jongdae made the resolve to stop thinking about Baekhyun in that way even though that might prove to be a little hard considering how the other's adorable face made him feel all sorts of emotions.

Maybe, I'll let Luhan introduce me to one of his super hot athlete friends he keeps talking about. Yeah, that would solve all his boy problems.

When he peeked into the kitchen, he saw Kyungsoo working meticulously on chopping vegetables and Baekhyun setting out ingredients next to him. "What are you making?" Jongdae propped his elbows on the counter.

"Seafood soup with vegetables." Kyungsoo answered without looking up, "At least that what I'm trying to make with the limited ingredients they have here?"

"Oh do you need something in particular? I could run to the supermarket nearby." Jongdae offered.

Kyungsoo stopped chopping for a second and looked up at him, a grateful look on his face, "Just soy sauce please." He paused, "And take Baekhyun with you too. He's absolutely useless in the kitchen."

Baekhyun looked shocked when his friend said that, but nevertheless, put the bottles of random sauces he was holding down and silently walked out of the kitchen. He put on a huge coat because it'd had gotten significantly colder outside. Jongdae knew he made a vow to himself about not having any kind of more than friends kind of thoughts about Baekhyun but damn he looked cute. His coat collars standing up, casting a shadow on his face and his hair that he'd brushed up by his hands to reveal his forehead.

"C'mon." Baekhyun said to him, leading the way out of the house.

Their trip to and from the market was uneventful. Little words were exchanged between them which added to the awkwardness of the situation. Although on their way back they got into a banter about which Fall Out Boy album was better which went on throughout their walk back home.

"Save Rock and Roll will remain the most superior album no matter what arguments you make." Baekhyun huffed loudly as they entered through the front door.

"I agree." They heard Kyungsoo speak from the living room.

"Not you too, Kyungsoo." Jongdae groaned, heading towards the other to give him the soy sauce they'd bought, "Why you guys teaming up against me. It's unfair." He sat down on the sofa with a pout.

"Yeah well we wouldn't have to if you had a better taste in music." Baekhyun argued back.

And so banter continued. The next entire hour was spent on Baekhyun's computer where both of them were listening to snippets of songs trying to convince each other. All the while Kyungsoo stayed busy in the kitchen, dropping by from time to time to add his own little comments.

By the time the food was done, Yixing had got back too and joined them. Jongdae couldn't think of the last time he'd had such a good meal. Not only was the food absolutely delicious but the company of the people and the light chatter they shared in between eating made it even better. He got home that day still in high spirits from the events of the entire day.

 

...

 

"So...Jongdae huh?" Kyungsoo started once they were alone in Baekhyun's room. 

"Don't even--" Baekhyun gave his friend a look that he reserved for special occasions such as this.

"What? I'm not saying anything. I mean he seems like a good guy." Kyungsoo said, "Maybe too good for you if I think about it." He laughed when Baekhyun attempted to throw a pillow at him which sadly landed half a meter away from him.

"What do you mean too good for me?" Baekhyun crossed his arms in front of his chest, "Besides it's not like I'm interested in him or anyone for the matter."

"Sure. Whatever you say."

It wasn't that Baekhyun didn't like Jongdae. He liked hanging out with him and talking to him and this was a much recent development but he liked bantering with him. Maybe he might like him too much. And that was a problem.

"Baek." Kyungsoo came over to sit next to him on the bed, "I don't want to push you but I feel like it's about time you find someone. It's been ages since the whole situation with You-Know-Who happened and if you let that stay with you any longer it's never gonna go away."

"Kyungsoo, I---"

"Look. It doesn't have to be now but the sooner you get yourself out of the past the better. Also this Jongdae seems really nice and I can tell for a fact that he likes you." Kyungsoo petted Baekhyun's hair as he laid his head on his friend's shoulder.

He knew he shouldn't be afraid. He should let go of the past and move on. But it was so hard to actually do that. He knew Jongdae would be good to him but there was there was this small part inside him that kept telling him otherwise. It told him that every man was the same and he too would leave him just like his ex had. He could see the genuine feelings in Jongdae's eyes every time he looked at him. The other was so pure and open, it was easy to read him. But Baekhyun stopped himself from getting carried away with him. He was scared of investing all his emotions into something that might never get them anywhere or worse, end badly for both of them. He'd seen the hurt look in the others eyes whenever he'd pull back and it hurt Baekhyun himself so much but he reminded himself of the future pain that he was saving both of them from.

He'd be better off without having dated possibly one of the most beautiful and genuine men he'd ever met.

That's what he'd told himself before. Almost six days later, standing on the pavement on the opposite side of a chic French cafe, however, he was having second thoughts. 

Directly in front of him, in his line of sight was the man that had been haunting his thoughts lately. He was sitting by the window of the cafe, his side profile glowing in the light that poured through. He was looking as radiant as ever, maybe even more so than usual as he laughed at something the man in front of him had said.

Baekhyun felt a sharp stab in chest when he saw what looked like a date. How he wished it was him on the other side of the table, making Jongdae laugh not some tall European looking dude. 

 

...

 

Jongdae stared at his phone for the billionth time, staring at his and Baekhyun's chat that had been depressingly empty for the past few days. Jongdae had tried to keep up a one sided conversation going for a while but Baekhyun's lack of response discouraged him from trying any further.

"Dae! Come on, your parents are here to get you~" Luhan's voice sounded from outside the door as he knocked relentlessly.

Jongdae groaned, getting up and opening up the door to reveal Luhan standing in front of a very uninterested Yifan, the only two people he expected to come to his dorm. "I'm not going, Luhan. I already told you." 

"Jongdae, I swear I won't try to set you up with anyone this time! It's just us friends hanging out. Besides, Yixing and Yanjun are leaving in a few days, this might be the last time you ever see them." Luhan said, trying to forcefully pull Jongdae out of the door.

"But I haven't even changed. I look gross." He looked down at his unwashed jeans and his yellow oversized sweater. Definitely not appropriate clothing for going out.

"It looks great, Jongdae. Don't worry." Yifan assured him from the back. 

Out of both the guys he preferred Yifan's judgement. So, he agreed to go along no matter how gross he thought he looked. 

The bar was a brick walled building that was covered in neon signs of all shapes and sizes.  
They quickly noticed the huge group of people they were looking for beside a booth. Besides Luhan's usual group of friends there were other people Jongdae didn't recognise. He guessed they might be Yixing and Yanjun's other friends since this was a farewell party of sorts for the two of them.

After greeting everyone, Jongdae settled down in the next booth as the one the others had occupied had no space at all left.

"Ow!"

"What the--? Jongdae belatedly realised that he'd sat on someone's hand and not just any someone's hand. He'd accidentally sat down on Baekhyun's hand. What is he doing here?

"Try and not squash my hand with your butt next time." Baekhyun said as he retrieved his hand and inspected it for any injuries which of course weren't there. He was just being dramatic.

"Try and pull your hand out of my butt's way next time." Jongdae retorted back.

"What's your problem?" Baekhyun squinted his eyes at him. He knew the other wasn't really mad at him but he could definitely tell that something was off in his attitude.

"My problem? I'm not the one who ignores his friends for days without a reason." The words came flying out of his mouth. He'd wanted to talk to Baekhyun about this but this was definitely not the way you talk things out.

He could see Baekhyun's scowl growing as he got up and stepped over Jongdae's legs to get out of the booth, "I'm not the one who ignores his friends to hang out with European guys." 

_What? What European guys?_ Jongdae sulked in his seat. Why was Baekhyun being such an ass. 

The other has disappeared after that. No one knew where he went. Jongdae joined the others at their table and tried not to think about Baekhyun too much. 

But not thinking about Baekhyun had gotten close to impossible. He'd come to the conclusion that he'll probably never stop having feelings for him no matter how much he tried.

He couldn't just stand around sulking while everyone else was drinking and having fun. So he made his way out of the bar and leaned against the brick wall, watching the traffic go by in front of him. 

"So, how was the European guy?" Jongdae was startled as he heard Baekhyun's voice from beside him as he, too, leaned against the wall. His face looked apologetic as if he was trying to make up for how he behaved earlier.

Jongdae smiled, it was typical of Baekhyun to not actually apologise but to show it through his actions instead. "I don't know where you get you get your information from but if you're talking about Joey then he's Australian not European." he let out a shallow shaky laugh.

"Same difference." Baekhyun huffed, he looked annoyed

Jongdae turned his head to look at him, "I was just showing him around, by the way. It wasn't a date or anything."

Baekhyun turned too, to match his gaze, "Even if it was, why would that bother me?"

"Right." Jongdae breathed out. "Why would that bother you?" he saw Baekhyun's eyes flicker to his lips for a second. It was just a brief shift of gaze before his eyes were back to staring back into his but Jongdae had noticed. 

And Baekhyun had noticed that Jongdae had noticed and was now getting closer. He saw Baekhyun's breath hitch when his face was just a hair's breadth away from his. Jongdae stopped to admire the pretty mole anove his lips from this close. He could smell the beautiful coffee scent Baekhyun carried with him at all times that seemed to be pulling him closer. But he looked up at the other's eyes again.

"I like you, Baekhyun." Jongdae started, "I felt scared to admit it before because I've never liked someone like this before. And honestly, it's really scary not knowing how you feel about me and how you'd take my feelings towards you---" 

Baekhyun cut him off by leaning his face closer and putting his hands on Jongdae's shoulders, his breath fanned his cheeks, "Stop talking for a second while I try to kiss you." and with that he closed the gap between them, letting him feel the softness of his lips that Jongdae could melt into forever. "Also," Baekhyun pulled back for a second and said, "For the record, I like you too. I suck at feelings and even more so at relationships but I'm willing to give this a try." 

This time it was Jongdae who brought their lips together, mumbling an 'okay' against his lips. He made sure to leave a peck on the tiny mole that fascinated him so much before Baekhyun stole his mouth with his wet lips and his probing tongue. He guided him by the waist towards the wall that supported him while he leaned down on him. Feeling blissful, Jongdae let his hands roam into the other's soft hair as they deepened their kisses.

That night outside the bar, making out with the man of his dreams, Jongdae felt like the luckiest person alive.

 

 

 

...

 

 

"Johnny shush." Jongdae whispered as he carried the cat with him in his arms, making his way to the front door.

The cat had been stuttering around the entire apartment that Jongdae had moved into only recently. With Yixing gone and Baekhyun being without a roommate there was no choice for Jongdae but to move in with him (or so they liked to tell other people).

The door unlocked and his boyfriend came into view, "What?" he looked at Johnny, "Why is she here? Please tell me you didn't steal her." he was still dressed in his waiter's uniform probably because he hurried back when Jongdae had texted him. "I know I said I'd be with you no matter what but going to jail for stealing a cat doesn't exactly sound very fun."

Jongdae laughed, "No I didn't steal her." he beckoned the other inside, "I adopted her." He waved the paper he'd just signed a couple hours ago in front of Baekhyun who's hands went flying to take them from him. He saw his boyfriend's eyes scanning the documents at the speed of light.

"Does that mean… we're dads?" he saw the gleeful look in the other's eyes.

"I guess it does."

 

x

**Author's Note:**

> jongdae's favourite FOB album is 'infinity on high' btw because he is a man of taste
> 
> also, do remember to [stream](https://youtu.be/AWKG7-zU54o) for clear skin~~


End file.
